FIRE IN NELSON.

Shortly before two o'clock yesterday jnomi n I tho public wa3 aroused by the sound of n fire-bell, and found that the h:iy, corn, and produce store of Mr. Jones, i_ear the Victoria Hotel Haven Road, was on fire. The first alarm was gi T J by a policeman's whistle, which aroused some, and Mr. J. Wilkie and an assistant, took out tbe amg|i engine, which was speedily on tho spot and at work • but from the nature of tbe contents there wag n » chance of saving the building, as the flames were b? this time bursting from the windows. The large fi re . engine under control of the Fire Brigade shortly foi. lowed; but the distance it had to travel from the Government Buildings necessarily delayed it, and th» fire was extinguished by the time the engine. arrived Fortunately "the fire was kept entirely within tho building, and although it was burnt to the ground -and notwithstanding the great heat arising from itj combustible contents, which included hams andbacon a building with an iron roof and iron sides, only a fe» feet distant from Mr. Jones' 'store, was unhurt. This of course was in a great measure due to the steady i application of water from the engine, by which also ! the burning remains ofthe stock were extinguished' The fire' was discovered by Constable Fletr, who was at the time at the junction of Collingwood-street, and Bridge-street, and another Constable, Clark, was the first to ring the fire-bell; "while Constable Shore hnstened up to the lock-up to get the fire-angine out. The alarm of the fire-bell was taken up by the bell : of the Catholic Church.

The origin of the fire is unknown, as no one was in the placeafter Sundiiy morning, when Mr. Jones' shop, man called for a parcel which he had left. Mr. Jonea himself was in the stable about ten o'clock on the Sunday night, looking after the horse, and he saw no signs of smoke or fire in the shop, and people who hud passed later than this saw no appearance of fire either.

Mr. Jones is insured in the New Zealand Insurance Co., for £350 for the. building, and stock ; but it is believed that this sum will not cover the loss. There is a large quantity of half consumed goods lying i a the ruins. There was no wind, otherwise the fire would have spread.